What is Sports Medicine? – Sports Medicine Temecula CA
Sports medicine deals with both the science of exercise and the treatment of injuries and conditions related to playing sports. There are several types of health professionals who focus their efforts on sports medicine, including exercise physiologists and physical therapists. Medical doctors like Dr. Erwteman who work in sports medicine are usually orthopaedic surgeons. This means that they specialize in the surgical treatment of conditions of the musculoskeletal system, including bones, joints, and muscles, particularly in people who are physically active, such as athletes.
Shoulder Injuries – Sports Medicine Temecula CA
Certain types of injury to the shoulder are more common in people who play particular sports. For example, an injury to the acromioclavicular (AC) joint generally involves a great deal of force, and is most common while playing a sport like football.
Injuries to the labrum of the shoulder are more likely in those who repeatedly lift the arm above the head, such as tennis players and weightlifters, but commonly occurs from a shoulder dislocation which can happen in any contact sport. The labral tear may be acute, meaning that the injury occurs at a defined point in time, or it may be chronic, meaning that it is a result of long-term wear and tear on the joint. In many cases, years of chronic damage to the joint culminate in a degenerative type of labral tear which can be very symptomatic.
Those who have had chronic damage to the shoulder joint, which may occur in the years following injuries to the shoulder or as a result of unsustainable movement patterns, may benefit from a shoulder arthroplasty. Also known as a shoulder replacement, this procedure replaces the damaged cartilage of the joint with artificial surfaces, to restore smooth movement of the joint and reduce pain.
Knee Injuries – Sports Medicine Temecula CA
Knee injuries are common in a variety of sports, including soccer, basketball, and running. These may include injuries to the meniscus, which is a piece of cartilage that cushions the knee joint; there are two in each knee.
The ligaments that help to provide stability to the knee may also be damaged. The ACL is a commonly injured ligament that you may have heard of, but there are also other knee ligaments that may become injured. Surgery can repair or replace a damaged ligament, to restore the stability of the knee.
Knee pain may prevent people from playing almost any sport, or even from being physically active at all. For those who have had years of chronic damage to the cartilage and other structures of the knee, the best option may be knee arthroplasty, also known as knee replacement.
Ankle Injuries – Sports Medicine Temecula CA
A very common injury of the ankle is an ankle sprain. Most commonly, this occurs when the foot turns inward at the ankle as the body weight is being brought down onto the foot, resulting in injury to the tendons and ligaments on the outer part of the ankle. This is called an inversion injury. In many cases, an ankle sprain can heal without surgery, but some cases are best treated with a surgical procedure.
A high ankle sprain involves injury to the connection between the two lower leg bones. When the connection between these bones is disrupted, the ankle can be unstable, because both bones are part of the ankle joint. In some cases, a high ankle sprain is treated surgically, in order to restore stability to the ankle and allow the patient to return to normal activities.
